Drawing a bigger circle

We all have a circle, don’t we? And when we stretch our arms wide and draw them close, those dear souls swept in are our inner circle. Who is in your circle? Your spouse, closest friends, confidants. We need each other. We all need a “good” circle.

And isn’t it awesome to be counted in someone else’s circle? That sense of belonging and inclusion is satisfying and fulfilling, safe and secure.

Sometimes, we choose to be the only person in our circle. A self-protective approach maybe as a result of past hurts. Maybe it’s just self-centeredness because then we don’t have to share our time and resources with anyone else. Maybe at times it’s some of both.

Have you ever felt like you were wandering on the outside of a circle wishing to find the opening to get in? Yeah, me too. Doesn’t always feel great, does it?

Why do you think we don’t expand our circles? Trust would be an obvious factor, but are there others?

Do you think there is a fear of getting lost in the crowd, losing identity or position? Do you think the responsibility is greater when we let someone else in our circle?

I know I’m asking a lot of questions, and honestly it’s because I have the same questions.

I had a lot of insecurities growing up, and truth be told I desperately wanted a well-defined circle because I used it to define me instead of allowing God to tell me who I was.

If you’re in the “cool” club, then you must be “cool,” right?

We’d like to think that mentality is left behind on the school playground, but I don’t think that is the case. The names and situations change, but I still see similar struggles at every age.

This is not a condemnation in any way on having an inner circle. It’s important to have, and frankly not everyone is going to be in that group.

But, what if we can expand our outer circle just a bit. We don’t have to look far to see dear souls who long for a place to belong to a group, a tribe, or a team. We can’t include everyone, obviously, but what if we can include one person or one family in our circle. We’re stronger together because that’s how we were created to be.

I’m challenging myself with this…to get out of my comfort zone and look around to expand my circle a bit. I feel like more often than not I receive far greater blessings by those that God places in my circle than the way I bless them.

This topic makes me think of the story of the starfish. I’m sure you’ve heard it. A girl is walking on a beach where thousands of starfish have been washed ashore by a storm, and the tide has receded. She begins scooping up starfish and placing them back in the ocean. A man observes and asks her what she is doing. She tells him that she is saving the starfish. To the man’s comment that there are thousands of starfish and miles of beach and that she couldn’t possibly make a difference, the girl responds as she picks up another starfish and throws it back in the sea, “I made a difference for that one.”

I love that story. Sometimes we think if we can’t change the whole world, then what is the point, but we can change one person’s world. So what do you think? Do you have room for one more in your circle?